Born in Cairo Egypt, And immigrated to the US in 1996.

At the age of 15, Peter Shoukry Started out by displaying his art work at coffee shops, and local vendors in Los Angeles. He later became recognized and picked up for group exhibitions by galleries in DTLA. His career started to ignite right after high school with a show at the Museum of Contemporary art in Los Angeles. Shortly after, his career became International with gallery and museum exhibitions all around the world including Paris, and Vienna. Not to mention International Shows with the European Union, his abstract art has also sold in private show rooms alongside originals by Picasso, Dali and Cezanne.

After becoming recognized by the legendary fashion house Louis Vuitton in a world class art contest, Peter Shoukry was inspired to create a new wave of art, one he calls “Fashion Abstract Art”. Bright colors, rich traditional textiles and designs fitted in an original illustration that depicts a story of inspiration from his abstract mind. His design style involves a process of first sketching, and then tapping off bit by bit. His process, though painstakingly labor intensive, lends a magnificent result. Peter Shoukry’s Art forces you to contemplate it, to stare at it for hours, drawn like a moth to a flame, and then to walk away, pondering what you just saw, deeply affected.

He was recently signed by one of Los Angeles’ Elite Modeling agencies, “Slater Model Management” to become a fashion Model. “I have always been fascinated by the French saying ‘la vie behome’ which means to live the life of an artist, I will never stop seeking new ways to express my creativity, whether its behind a canvas or in front of a camera.” says Peter.

Peter has had an incredible art career, the sky is the limit.

Interviewer, Photographer: Semant Jain, Ph.D.
Content Editor: Marisa Lyon
Copy Editor: Kim Pham
Fashion Writer: Alexandra Scheck

On July 21st, 2013, during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, Monica Wise presented her swimwear collection, L*Space in The Raleigh Hotel’s Cabana Grande. L*Space has been recognized as the Surfwear Industry Manufacture Association’s Swimwear Brand Of The Year for the five consecutive years. In 2010, Monica Wise was named the Mercedes Benz Designer Of The Year, Consequently, her 2014 collection didn’t leave anyone surprised that L*Space holds these titles.


L*Space teamed up with Stila Cosmetics, blo – Blow Dry Bar Midtown Miami, and Ipanema to achieve bright eyes, glitter-dipped fishtail braids, and beach-ready ankle boots. The models were also seen sporting statement necklaces and captain hats, emulating the luxurious beach escape that inspired Monica Wise’s 2014 collection.

In addition to L*Space’s signature ruffle and fringe, cut-outs and lace made many appearances on bikinis and one pieces, as well as flowing dresses and beach covers. The patterns in this year’s collection ranged from solid print to chevron to Aztec, presented in a tropical-inspired palette featuring colors such as eucalyptus, paprika, watermelon, shell pink, and berry. These shades translated from one piece to the next, creating a collection that can be worn in many ways and combinations.

Our editor, Semant Jain caught up with Monica Wise backstage to discuss the designer’s inspiration for her 2014 collection.

Why did you pick the name L*Space, and what does it stand for?
Well, everything in life that I love ended up starting with the letter “L,” so it just made sense to name it after my own space, which was Love, Laughter, Living, Luxury.

What is the most unique thing about you as a designer? How does being a designer differ from other aspects of your life?
I wouldn’t say that I’m unique, but I’m so passionate about what I do. I didn’t have the education for design, which you hear a lot in the fashion industry, but it’s all about the passion and the fire that makes you a good designer. I’ve got that fire in me!

What made you decide to be a designer?
Well, I came from Florida and in Florida you’re constantly in bikinis. I fell in love with the bikini, a love affair!

You mention Florida, and your collections are usually inspired by the beaches in France, Mexico, Bali, and parts of Southern California. What is it about those locations that inspires you the most? Do you look at other sources for inspiration?
I do look at accessories, the shoes, handbags. You get a lot of inspiration for bikinis as far as touches of a ring or a strap. As far as inspiration when it comes to travel, it just seems when you get out of your element of your local beaches and even the U.S., you find a lot of inspiration from Europe. They’re just so sensual and so sexy that it just reeks as far as inspiration. It can come at any moment from over there, sitting under an umbrella, soaking up the culture.

Where did you draw your inspiration from specifically for this collection?
My inspiration for 2014 is all about travel and the girl that can go anywhere on a whim. I personally made a trip to Cayman Islands a couple of months ago and, I went there years ago as a kid, fell in love with it, and just hoped that someday I’d return and showcase my brand and share that love with the Cayman Islands with the consumers. All the colors in my collection all represent beach colors: we have pebble, we have sand, we have sun. It’s all about travel and the girl that’s got a loving life attitude.

You juggle three different collections — L*Space, Maio Swim, and The Collection — and I’m sure it can be challenging. What type of woman do you have in mind when you are creating these collections?
It’s a girl that is very comfortable with herself. She’s confident, she’s a fun-loving spirit, she’s like me – if she’s wearing my clothes, she’s got to be like me! It just comes easy. The apparel is designed by a gal that I brought on board last year from Free People, so she’s a fabulous apparel designer, she’s my right hand girl.

Your collections are described as, “sophisticated, beach chic, glam surfer, and fashion forward.” How do you keep this theme alive in each swimwear piece you create?
Just make a lot of trips to the beaches! Stay out there in the field with my customers, doing trunk shows and listening to what they love and what they want from me. It’s all about listening.

Swimwear that moved and was less form-fitting was your inspiration for your last collection at Swim Week. What were you inspired by this season?
This year was suits that can be worn a lot of ways, and apparel pieces that can be worn on and off the beach. We have some really easy breezy dresses and beach pants, but it’s all about the gal who loves to pack a lot of fun clothing in her suitcases. Reversibles are a big trend for me this year, a lot of reversibles that can be worn many ways.

For more about Monica Wise and the L*Space brand, visit lspace.com. The 2014 collection is available to preorder on Everything But Water.

Interviewer, Photographer: Semant Jain, Ph.D.
Content Editor: Marisa Lyon and Kim Pham
Fashion Writer: Alexandra Scheck and Samantha Raines

On July 21, 2013, at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, Gottex Swimwear revealed their 2014 collection. In an exclusive interview with SJ Chronicle’s Executive Editor Semant Jain, designer Michal Weinberg dished about the Gottex line, Profile. “Profile is about embracing the woman’s body,” Weinberg divulged. “[It is] a feminine, flirty, easy line that everyone can feel comfortable in.” The pieces were made with “sensitive lycra”, a material similar to lycra that hugs the body, contributing to their perfect fit.

Teeming with Caribbean colors and sexy silhouettes, the retro-chic line lit up the outdoor pool runway. The influence for this collection was all about “the great movie stars of the 50s, but with Caribbean colors. You see very vivid, strong colors, and we have a very strong, sophisticated black and white group.” Bright turquoise, electric blue, and violet were just a few of the many tropical hues that graced the runway. The Gottex models embodied Weinburg’s retro-chic influence by wearing transparent, clear heels, simplistic makeup with an electric red lip, layered gold bangles, and a few wearing oversized, wide brim sun hats.

In addition to the glamorous solids, tropical patterns embraced floral prints through tangerine, lavender, and coral pink. Weinberg shared that “all of the colors in the collection [we dyed] by ourselves because we want our special colors, and the solid groups will match the printed groups.”

Michal Weinberg does not plan to stop designing swimwear any time soon. She admits, “I’m addicted to swimwear!” Her understanding of fit and design, she says, comes from the fact that she’s a woman herself and understands how women feel about their bodies. “To buy swimwear is very hard. I don’t know what is harder: to buy swimwear or go to the dentist, but believe me, it’s almost the same!”

Next year, Weinberg plans to go to Mongolia to see what inspires her. To learn more about Profile by Gottex, visit HYPERLINK “http://www.profilebygottex.com/” their website.

Interviewer, Photographer: Semant Jain, Ph.D.
Content Editor: Marisa Lyon
Copy Editor: Alexandra Scheck
Fashion writer: Shannon Weprin

On July 21st, 2013, Day 3 of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim 2014, onlookers lounged poolside at the SLS South Beach Hotel to catch the first glimpse of Oakley’s 2014 Swim collection. Donning only their natural beauty, bare feet and braided hair, the Oakley models commanded the runway in bold, adventurous swimwear. Instead of slipping into an easy-to-snag cover-up, they suited up with a color-blocked rash guard and surfboard. Rather than dragging the trail of a long maxi skirt, they tossed volleyballs in comfortable board shorts.

The Oakley 2014 swim line told the story of the active woman wearing it. After the presentation, in an exclusive interview with Semant, Oakley’s Public Relations representative Kimiko Cowan shared that the biggest inspiration for the collection was the Oakley woman herself: “She is powerful. She is fearless. So we are trying to do a collection that will follow her activity, and still be fashionable and sexy.”

The swimwear celebrated a playful spirit with colors like bubble gum pink, tiffany blue, and sea-foam green. A majority of the pieces sported a medley of these hues in stripes or blurred patterns that captured the essence of the ocean. Amongst the 2014 collection was a traditional one-piece which featured a thin belt at the hip. Complemented by soft pink coloring, the geometric stitches curved down the silhouette accentuating the feminine shape. The design was the perfect fusion of style and practicality.

Each design was strategically chosen with the active yet fashionable woman in mind. “You have a lot of components inside the swimsuit,” Cowan said, “even a lot of silicon in the bottom. So it’s going to stay put when she is swimming. She will not need to adjust her bottoms.” To match the usability of the design, the optic fiber fabric was made to resist chlorine, sun bleaching, and sand abrasion.

Oakley’s mission to make a bathing suit to fit one’s life has been exemplified by blurring the line between sportswear and swimwear. From halters to bandeaus, string tie-ups to hipster cuts, the 2014 collection presented options for the fashion-conscious woman who is not afraid to get dirty. Visit Oakley’s website for more on their swimwear collection for women.

Interviewer, Photographer: Semant Jain, Ph.D.
Content Editor: Marisa Lyon
Copy Editors: Alexandra Scheck and Kim Pham
Fashion Writer: Michelle O. Dente

On the third day of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim 2014, designer Nicole Di Rocco of Nicolita introduced her Swim 2014 collection, In Search of the Perfect Booty. Lisa Pilner, who helped design the collection, was also seen on the runway in two sexy one-piece suits. Polka dot bikinis with matching hair wraps and reminiscent pompadour hairstyles gave the models a retro inspired charm, while Smashbox Cosmetics provided a subtle yet dramatic look with winged, black eyeliner and pink lips. The color palette consisted of pastels in powder pink, light turquoise, peach, canary yellow, mint green, and classic black and white.

In a pre-show backstage interview with Semant Jain, Di Rocco said, “I’m still infusing a little bit of Cuba with that vintage flavor, but I am also including more modern day silhouettes, so that’s kind of my little secret sauce behind every year.” Di Rocco managed to keep her designs looking fresh and unique, incorporating three different types of bottoms: a minimal, a moderate, and a full coverage.

Di Rocco’s Cuban heritage has greatly influenced the designs for the curvaceous Latina body with modern day silhouettes and presenting at MBFW Swim 2014 has enabled Di Rocco “to showcase what it means to be Hispanic and American.”

Di Rocco’s main focus this year was creating styles to complement any figure, including high-waist styles to flatter hips, string bottoms for girls who dare to bare more, and back side cut-outs that added a sexy touch, with cute “peek-a-bow” bottoms being her favorite. She said, “Everybody has different types of curves, so there are three different types of bottoms. It helps each girl be able to pick and choose the style that she wants.”

The blend of polka-dot lace, ruffled trim, and attached bow accessories brought a retro- glam look with a conservatively sexy appeal to Di Rocco’s designs. A bikini in a tropical pastel print with a minimal, string bottom and ruffled trim top was accented with a peach bow. Another lovely design was a pink and black polka- dot halter and a high-waist bottom with a black bow belt.

Di Rocco’s swimsuits exhibited a lot of character, as did the models blowing kisses and giving playful winks on the runway. The models were picked through a “Search For The Perfect Booty” contest wherein Di Rocco used “personality and a strong walk” to select her models. Di Rocco stated, “Some of these girls don’t have a lot of experience coming into Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, but they had an amazing walk and they wanted it so bad. I want to give that dream away and let them have the opportunity to make something like this come to life for them.”

As for her own dream and future, Di Rocco exclaimed, “I just like to take one year at a time, because I would not think I would have been here five years ago. Take it one year at a time and keep moving forward with what I’m doing.”

By Marc Londo

Almost 8000 miles separates Philadelphia from Ahmedabad, India. It is a distance that spans one-third of the Earth at the equator, and serves as a retaining wall between two countries that are on opposite ends of the cultural spectrum. Nevertheless, as an artist who has made female identity the focus of her work for over a decade, Anastasia Alexandrin is driven to explore the origins of that distinctive ‘inner voice’ all women possess. “I’m inspired by expressions of female identity and how they take hold within different settings and cultures,” she says. So, when she was awarded an artist residency position in India, she saw it as a unique opportunity to further her understanding of the universal female experience.

Anastasia Alexandrin at the Verve Artist Residency in Ahmedabad, India
Having spent most of her formative years as an artist in the Northeast, Anastasia sees the diversity of the area as being a great influence in the direction of her work. “Philadelphia has a deep energy that provides me with a wellspring of ideas for my work,” she says. “I am inspired by the people I meet and places I visit. The surroundings influence my choice of pallet.” Alexandrin points to her cultural identity, as a Ukrainian immigrant, as being instrumental in shaping her world view as a woman and artist from an early age. “In general, artists tend to empathize with ‘the other’ in society,” she proclaims. “When you combine that with the experience of being raised in two cultures, it makes it easy to identify with just about everyone.”

The Artist (2009), charcoal on paper, 20in x 20in
She was just five years old when her family fled the Soviet Union and settled in nearby Allentown, Pa. It wasn’t long after their arrival that her parents placed her in Barnstone Studios, a nearby academy of drawing and design. “Even at that early age, I was drawing,” she states. “My parents fed that passion because they discovered that, when I had a piece of paper and pencils, I was satisfied for hours.” As a student at Barnstone, Anastasia was classically trained to draw and paint. Upon her graduation from High School, Alexandrin left Allentown and found her way to Philadelphia, where she enrolled at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Art (PAFA). While a student at PAFA, she grew as an artist under the tutelage of Peter Paone.

Red Peace (2009), charcoal on paper, 24in x 15in
“Peter (Paone) has always pushed me to try new things, new mediums,” she says. “He taught me that art is a process of evolving; and that I must experience life around me, and share those experiences through my art.” It was a lesson she adheres to in her life and career. After all, as an artist who focuses on female identity, it is imperative that she connect with her subjects through shared experiences and empathy. Today, her art is hanging in many of the same galleries as her mentor, Paone. Her art has been shown in solo exhibitions throughout New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco, and in group exhibitions all over the United States.

The Tea Drinker (2010), charcoal on paper, 40in x 30in
The Verve Artist Residency in Ahmedabad, India, is now Anastasia’s third artist residency in as many years. Her approach to the immersive process is very ethnographic in nature. According to Alexandrin, it is necessary to foster authentic perspectives in her artwork. “Nothing that I have ever experienced in my lifetime comes as close to what I see, hear, smell, and taste in India on a regular basis,” she explains. “Every day, I see and experience something that I never would have thought imaginable. Some is good, some is bad, and some is just wild.”

The Apartment Building (2010), charcoal on paper, 35in x 45in
Alexandrin is widely recognized for her signature charcoal images which advocate female transcendence through their transformative perspectives. She exercises command of the narrative in a variety of ways; from her elegant framing techniques to the surreal symbolism that hints at the inner struggles gripping its female subject. Nevertheless, it is Anastasia’s mastery of line that infuses her charcoal art with such an unusual gritty appearance. Her hyperactive line strokes emit an ethereal quality that is heightened by her command of tone. “I begin each of my drawings with an emotion, and then I cloth the emotion with pictures,” she says. “With each line I am creating a statement.”

Horned Girl (2011), graphite, 22in x 30in
That statement is inevitably an expression of her deep self-reflection. Consequently, the lines she draws from her home in Philadelphia to Ahmedabad, India, run parallel as much as they diverge. “I believe in art’s capacity to forward ideas and ignite conversation,” she explains. “To be so far away from home for so long has been a real reprogramming. The direction of all my work is something I want to explore. I’m drawing well here. I found a Hare Krsna book – the full story – so I’m catching up on my Hindi religion. I’m enjoying it so far. We shall see. I can see how it will emerge into my work. However, I think for now I am still drawing from the life I left in the States.”

Looking glass (2010), oil on panel, 16in x 20in
Nevertheless, Alexandrin hints toward new artistic avenues that she’s been exploring in India. “When I arrived in India, Peter (Paone) told me ‘find your Carnaby Street’,” she says. “What he meant was that, when he moved to London in the 60′s, Carnaby Street was the fountainhead of the counterculture. The Beatles hung out there, as well as Sonny and Cher. It is also where his art took a huge step forward. So, Peter has been telling me to find my ‘Carnaby Street’! And I found it! My ‘Carnaby Street’ is called Loha Bajar. I am starting to work with metal here! I am finally able to implement so much of my sketch book images that I had no place for, for a long time. I am in a good place and I am open to learning. India has been so enriching! I came here with no expectations and I am walking away as a rich artist. I am rich in all the things that matter!”
(For more information about Anastasia Alexandrin and images of her work, visit http://aalexandrin.com/).

You can check out his Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ansgar.dressler.paintings and also visit his website at: www.an-dre-art.com

Dan has showcased his work Internationally and have them shown in various galleries, both public and private.

Be sure to check out more of his work on his website: www.danmonteavaro.com

You can also buy his artwork from: www.art.com

Source: www.danmonteavaro.com

I recently came across the work of Illustrator David Bray, from the UK, and fell in love with his style. He often draws females intermixed with pieces of pop culture or mildly erotic elements. I would love to have one of these images the size of a wall in my living room!

David Bray’s Website

From StolenSpace.com:

Born in Dartford, Kent, in 1970, as a child Bray would apparently draw images of space travel, where he would depict himself and his friends visiting other Planets and Universes. As he grew older he began to explore a dark, egotistical fantasy world, which is still apparent in the work he makes today being influenced and inspired by a wide range of artists: from sculptor Allen Jones, comic artist Eric Stanton, erotic photography by Helmut Newton and Araki and paintings by Gustav Klimt, and Alberto Vargas.

Using basic drawing tools, such as pens, pencils and paper, Bray creates delicate and time-consuming drawings which explore emotion, utopia and a world of fantasy through his subject matter of the beautiful and erotic, but the unnatainable female form. His compelling works reveal his lifetime love of drawing and a very active imagination taking the viewer into his dark, amative world of fantasy. David has also had a successful commercial career since graduating in 1992 from Central St. Martins, in London with a degree in Graphic Design, with work commissioned by clients such as Harvey Nichols, H&M, Canon, Vodafone, BBC Television, Nokia, Puma, Virgin, Sony, Charles Worthington and magazines Elle, Flaunt, The Sunday Times and Time Out.